Karen Bakker, a conservation technology researcher, explores the use of artificial intelligence to decode animal communications. She discusses the hidden sounds of nature, including bats, orcas, peacocks, and coral larvae. The podcast touches on the potential for robots to communicate with honeybees and the ethical implications of bioacoustics in addressing the biodiversity crisis.
Artificial intelligence can decode animal communications and offer insights into interspecies communication, opening doors for humans to communicate with other species in the future.
Bioacoustics combined with AI can contribute to the restoration of biodiversity by analyzing healthy reef sounds, protecting endangered species, and mitigating the ongoing biodiversity crisis.
Deep dives
Decoding Animal Communications with AI
Scientists are using artificial intelligence to decode animal communications, dialects, and linguistics. By leveraging AI, researchers have discovered that bats have complex communication systems, including dialects passed down from one generation to the next. The same goes for orcas, moths, mice, birds, elephants, and even coral larvae. AI-powered algorithms have been developed to listen to and interpret the sounds made by these different species. This field of bioacoustics offers insights into the vast extent of interspecies communication and may pave the way for humans to use digital technology to communicate with other species in the future.
Using Bioacoustics to Restore Biodiversity
Biocoustics, combined with AI, presents opportunities to address urgent environmental issues. By analyzing healthy reef sounds and individual whale vocalizations, scientists can help regenerate coral reefs and protect endangered species like the North Atlantic right whales from ship strikes. The ability to understand non-human communication and translate it into actionable information opens doors to innovative conservation approaches. By combating noise pollution and understanding the acoustic needs of various species, bioacoustics could contribute to the restoration of biodiversity and aid in mitigating the ongoing biodiversity crisis.
Exploring the Frontiers of Biological Intelligence
Bioacoustics, together with machine intelligence, has the potential to unlock the frontiers of biological intelligence. By using AI and bioacoustics, scientists aim to explore the communication and intelligence of species beyond our own. Just as microscopes and telescopes revolutionized our understanding of the microbial world and the cosmos, respectively, bioacoustics has the power to reveal the complexity and interconnectedness of life on Earth. This field not only offers opportunities for protecting species and improving conservation efforts but also raises important ethical considerations around privacy, respect, and our role as caretakers of the planet.
What if we could hear nature's ultrasonic communication -- and talk back? From a bat's shrill speech to a peacock's infrasound mating call, conservation technology researcher Karen Bakker takes us through a sound bath of animal noises that are far outside humanity's range of hearing, demonstrating how artificial intelligence has translated the incredible complexity of nature's soundtrack. She asks us to consider the moral weight of such transformative technology and explores the futuristic opportunities presented for conservation, interspecies communication and more. The TED team is saddened to share that Karen Bakker passed away in August 2023. We’re grateful for the opportunity to uplift her work.